Forest & Bird

Tag

Flying animals – foxes, bats flying into trouble!

Today is ‘kite flying day’ … so , as a twist, here is something about ‘flying ‘ creatures –  flying foxes / bats. Australia Flying foxes are….. “intelligent and remarkable. These unique animals help regenerate our forests and keep ecosystems healthy through pollination and seed dispersal. They are a migratory and nomadic ‘keystone’ species; meaning a species that many other species of plants and animals rely upon for their survival and wellbeing. Flying foxes, like bees, help drive biodiversity, and...

Birdwatching | some resources

In the UK, it’s Big Garden Birdwatch… so here is a collection of great websites   The event, which was held over the weekend of 25-27 January, revealed that House Sparrow retained its number one spot in 2020 – 64% of partaking gardens recorded the species, a slight rise of 2% on 2019. Although registering a slight decrease on 2019, Common Starling was again in second place. Bird guides Discover Wildlife- the website behind BBC Wildlife magazine   RSPB –...

Stressed by lockdown? Turn to Nature

How do we remain healthy and well during particularly challenging times – such as pandemics? A number of studies show that being in or even near natural environments, can help a great deal regarding both our physical health and vital associated mental well-being. Science Daily…   A study published in Ecological Applications suggests that nature around one’s home may help mitigate some of the negative mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. An online questionnaire survey completed by 3,000 adults...

World Oceans Day

Here’s a roundup of some of the many charities involved in conservation of and education for , in and about the oceans… World Oceans Day 2020 Marine Conservation Society UK produces the Good Fish Guide. Plastic Oceans uses science to engage people Mission Blue inspires action to explore and protect the ocean. Led by legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle, Mission Blue is uniting a global coalition to inspire an upwelling of public awareness, access and support for a worldwide network...

Learning outside

As we begin to think about and even ‘plan’ emerging from the ‘lockdown’ – remember ‘safety first’ – it‘s essential to ’be prepared’ with as many ideas as possible for getting outdoors. Here are some great outdoor education online resources…. A great quote : I learned how to respect the places I was in and find a different kind of beauty in them than I had previously looked for. UNITED KINGDOM Creative STAR is my top recommendation for a website!...

Dawn Chorus Day

For those who are particularly into birdwatching or intend to be UP for this – Monday May 4th – here are some good resources United Kingdom – RSPB https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/birdwatching/ Australia – Birdlife https://www.birdlife.org.au/all-about-birds/birdwatching New Zealand – Forest & Bird https://www.forestandbird.org.nz/ as well as their kids club https://kcc.org.nz/ Here’s a video https://youtu.be/xudHav8digY The Guardian ‘take’ on dawn chorus https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/may/02/beautiful-birdsong-how-the-dawn-chorus-reconnects-me-to-life-and-hope?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other...